


Waters Kiss

by Over_write



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: AU, CPR, Chest Compression, Drowning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Relationship - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Team as Family, The Truth AU, magic fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:27:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Over_write/pseuds/Over_write
Summary: This is a short-story taking place in my AU - Headcanon about Mevolent and his TWO GeneralsJust take a look into it - I will explain everything in a few words in the beginning of the story.But for further Information just check out my Tumblr (Detoxia_Forgiving) and scroll down to the last few, posts (Don't worry I didn't post to much, yet),, it should be one of the first four.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Waters Kiss

**Short explanation about the AU:**

**The Truth:**

**It's an AU,, where basically the truth we know about the War is all but a, lie spread by Skulduggery, who blinded the eyes of the Dead Men and the people, who fought against their sight.**

**While** **Mevolent** **and his Generals only TRIED to spread the true teaching about BOTH their gods the entire time.**

**(Now, of course there is more to this AU, explaining a, lot of more important things, but for this please check out my Tumblr Detoxia_Forgiving)**

**..**   
**.**

**Waters kiss**

He didn't see it coming. It was too quick. He was merely able to turn, when he heard its glistening Rustle behind him.  
Still seeing its hot light in the corner of his emerald eyes, approaching him with a speed, he could have never dodged.

Before...

'NEFARIAN!'

..

.

The fight has been brutal, swords were drawn, pistols twitched, the magic boiling in their veins radiated, as sounds of clashing and howling, glistening and clattering filled the serene Silence ruling this cold winter day.

Still having blown its streams of air peacefully before, as the three unarmoured man had stepped onto the old wooden bridge, they had to pass, by and by again, in order to return to the deep wood securely surrounding their protected Kingdom .

A bridge, old and swinging dangerously in the blowing air, which was loosely attached between two massive and - at this cold season of the year - snow-covered alpine mountains. While a raging stream of icy water stormed through the narrow gap, between the two rocky mountains deep, deep below their own feet.   
Their waves literally crashing on the sharp shore, daring to swallow each other, as they fought over dominance in the middle of icy current. Splashing, storming, swishing its deathly sounds up above to the three coated man.

Up to the middle, that they had been walking their relaxed and calm step over the wooden surface, with the gleaming, white sun, stabbing its frosty shine into their back, though did the continuous noisy sounds of the lake weaken their dangerous sensitiveness of their mental focus, their ears and SeNsEs....

So loud.   
So distracting.   
So used to this peaceful trail.

That not even **Mevolent** himself, had recognized the sudden change in the air...

.. when suddenly **they** had surrounded the three Sorcerer from both sides, on both the only endings, the high bridge had offered them, as they stepped out of the dark cover of the tunnel leading through those massive mountains and locked their only two escapes.

Sealing them in.

4 on both of ends. Armoured, weaponed, their magic already radiated, as they had patiently waited and now, literally boiling in anger and hatred inside their veins, ready to be unleashed.

8 sorcerer in total, feared and honored by their ~ _loyalty_ ~ , their courage, ~ _7 blind man, 1 vIlE leader_ ~ , the Dead Man.

_A treacherous ambush._

Mevolent  
Serpine  
Vengeous

...had directly stepped in, who couldn't even react, that fast, that they had already found themselves back on back, with their just still calm body, entirely tensed, as they looked with tightened eyes at their armoured enemies.

With their metal armour glistening in the soft winter-coldness, as they patiently, waited for the order their leader would soon give them.

A man, brown eyed - dominant, that is - chestnut hair and gifted with a dark, wicked face, full of anger and rage, they knew too well. A tall, slender man, Mevolent looked directly in his _smiling_ eyes and his _so venomous grin._

For unlike them, Mevolent, himself and Vengeous were only weaponed with their own, cooled iron sword under the thin yarn coat, but no armour to protect them from the soon to be sounding swinging sounds.  
So Serpine with both his sharp short-blades, his gloved right hand had already instantly moved over too and tautly readied it on ones leather handle - half-covered by his in-the-wind swinging coat. Whilst his other, was already _nervously_ glistening up purple vapour inside its open palm.

His teeth clenched in a distressed manner, the steam of his hot breath appearing infront of his mouth, with each _heavy_ one, he took, as the strategist nervously eyed his superior nemesis', so the hazardous bridge, they stood on.

_This was no place to fight, this was a death Trap!_   
_This bridge won't accompany a fight on it!_

_What is Ravel thinking!?_

As alike sides continued to silently radiate their magic further and further to its full extent, warming both their freezing limbs from the inside out, until...

_Skulduggery's wide smile_ suddenly changed into a mischievously teeth-showing grin, as he abruptly flexed his sword, turning its blenched front towards HiS enemies and exclaimed in a raised, leader-like voice 'Now!'

Hence along this command, the three man accompanying his stand only a metre behind him, - a scarred, muscular figure, a wise gist-user and a kind man, who won't survive this endless war - stretched out swords or flexed their guns, whilst their feet already carried them alongside their roaring leader towards the middle of the tottering Bridge.

Just as the four man, Vengeous and Serpine faced - a man full of hope, even though his name says the opposite, the strategist himself, an energy thrower, alike Serpine and the man, who knows certain things - let their legs lunge them forward, as they saw their comrades charging into battle, as well.

Whilst the three in the encircled middle **only** watched their attackers hazardous and wild movements, precisely and thoughtfully watching them approach, like Serpine had taught them, with their backs still pressed against each other.   
And not until they were forced to break apart,..

.. did Serpine's tensed breathing stop growing heavier,..   
.. nor his tightened eyes stop darting the sharp corners of the bridge...   
.. or the nervous twitching of his gloved fingers glistening up purple vapour in his palm to calm...

Not until the splashing and whistling Silence of this serene winter day was disturbed by the first howling swing of a sword, followed by wild banging, hammering gusts of wind and thundering blasts their magic furiously radiated, before its violent power would collide in the air.

Throughout clattering and clashing noises of their metal moving or colliding, sounded the entire time.

And with it fully deafened the growling of the vicious see, raging their way through the mountain gap below.

The fight had begun.

And will last,until the last of them would have fallen or until **this one single scream** silenced the raucous roaring of their brutal battle...

'NEFARIAN!'

...and pulled all those curious pair of cats-eyes abruptly to the shrieks terrified owner - at least were about to -, as a loud, hammering explosion followed next, _that caused the wooden bridge to nearly tremble, some of the Sorcerer to almost have to steady their balance from the fright the sudden loud noises had caused_ , and instead have all of their gazes instantly shot..... **TwIsT**.... over to...

...   
..   
.

Mevolents eyes widened, tightening, a spear of terror strucking their glistening iris, as he could feel his tensed body p I r a l y z e , his muscles, his veins freezing on the spot, as his mouth opened to the cold air, in utter horror of what his brown orbs had caught a single more glimpse of.

_Distracted... Distracted!.. He was distracted, though were Ravel, Ghastly and Dexter just as frozen as the Elemental himself, their eyes staring widely in the same direction as the tall man with their weapons hanging numbly to the side, whilst their - all of their - burning magic, was switched by a shuddering coldness._

_The cold wind only made even greater._

_Along the inhuman hunger,_ _Mevolent_ _had so greatly felt craving to stab his back, abruptly vanishing, exchanges by a cold wave of horror at their leaders act... MiStAKe...._

_'Skulduggery, what in the WORLD were you thinking!?'_

_' I told you, I was going to kill him..'_

_'This hadn't even been our plan!!!'_

_Could you please SHUT UP, Ravel.. Why should you even care!?_

His first General falling over the edge of the iced bridge, his second General, - the owner of horror-stricken outcry- already darted to, whilst the brown-eyed man, Mevolent had only just in the beginning still faced, stepped SmILinG out of his way, and instantly a few steps away to his suddenly retreating friends. 

So, Dexter, Ghastly and Ravel, he hadn't even recognized to have measurely stepped backwards to the secure escape tunnel, for by the first step the HoRrORfIeD rebellions had taken back, so by the first loud..

**pump**

..of his heavy heart he could hear hammering in his head, his awakened feet was already carrying him forward.

But didn't even bother to NOT let **the innocent rebellions** flee, as his petrified Amber-eyes were only still directed the the quickly nearing edge Serpine...

_.... plummeted down into the current of the deathly sea far below ...._

..fell, and which, Vengeous was already darting his glowing golden eyes down to the raging sea, - which violent waves could fINaLlY be heard again -. Frantically that he seemed to move his gaze from side to side, desperately searching for Serpine in the bewildering grasp of the tempestuous waves.

Even after, Mevolent himself came to an abrupt stop beside his General and anon accompanied the same panic-stricken glance down to the thundering sea far below.

Alike, darting his eyes from side to side the dark waves, filling the swallowing deep sea, as they crashed upon each other, daring to swallow its inferiors, whilst their ever-lasting battle let the shoreline of sharpened rocks shake in terror each time they crashed upon them, wildly and mercilessly, flowing back only to crash upon them right over again, and again, like an never-ending circle to swallow it alive.

As they kept on desperately watching...

_The stones of the shore literally crumbling from the pure rage the black waves brought with them._   
_The stormy sea continuing its deathly struggle against its heavy maelstrom._   
_The icy-winter water trying to hide the innocent human soul, their tenebrous waves had swallowed._

But no matter, where their pleading eyes moved to, Serpine was nowhere in sight.

' I... I can't find him!' Vengeous suddenly exclaimed in a literally strangled cry beside him, whilst he, himself, **only** still continued to desperately search for his precious and most _youngest_ General.

_This couldn't be!_

_Please no, everything, but him!_

Though was suddenly pulled away from the terrific scene down below him, as the corners of his eagle-like eyes caught Vengeous raging form suddenly dangerously calming ..

Closing his eyes, for a deep wave of cold steam to blow, along his quivering exhale, out of his mouth..

'V-Vengeous.......

BeFOrE He MoVEd FoWaRD...

'WAIT!'

And instinctively was about to grab...lunge out at... Just somehow stop... his second, but could only still watch in pure horror as his hand missed the other by a single pellet- distance and was already diving down into the cold embrace of the water.

Appearing almost, as if the swishing waves were reaching out to him as he neared the storming surface, and was only still able to helplessly watch them swallowing him back along with them, as they plummeted down into the sea, again.

**Only** , for then his own muscles were already lunging him forward, as well, away from the frozen platform of the bridge and followed the suicidal leap of faith of his General down into the cold sea.

30 metres, that he was one with his own element, but never feared it so much before. Whilst gusts of cold wind brushed pass his flickering, thin coat continuously, the entire time during his quick fall and alike, watched with his, now watering eyes the waves nearing.... growing.... building up.... forming a hungry hole for him to fall inside.

_As they neared and neared, grew bigger and bigger, their deathly sounds rising_ and a second before, he would have broken its black surface, he squeezed his eyes instinctively **shut** and emitted into the darkness..

... with....   
....a..  
...._silent_ ...  
....'SpLAsH'!

Feeling a thousand knives stab inside inside of him.

As a sudden indescribable coldness soaked all of his clothes, not even the winter-wind could compete with, and had his head instantly start to drum... No.. Spin.. No, just hurt in a pressured sting, he could never describe.

If not draw his strength out of his adrenalin-filled body and his limbs to nearly fall into a state of numbness, as they froze in shock.

_Stinging._

_Stinging so greatly, in the first seconds after his collision, that even the powerful Elemental couldn't compare it any of the great pain he knew._

_But fading the longer he stayed in the suddenly still depth, under the raging surface over his pulsing head._

_Slowly, very slowly, that his body began to grow numb to the coldness, adjusting to it,.._

...and pulled all his remaining strength together, as long as his organs were still able to stand the nearing hypothermia...

_Before his own system would stop working - his brain give out - .... black out...fall unconscious to fall to the deathly iciness.._

..and gritted together his chattering teeth behind his pressed together lips, as he forced his eyes open. Only to see nothing, but the wet darkness, fully illuminated by the gleaming shines of the frosty sun, and empty, no matter, where he swirled his hovering body to.

No Serpine.   
No Vengeous.

ONlY BlACkneSs.

And bubbles, appearing around him each time he frantically shoved his hands through the transparent water in order to turn, move, hold himself from swaying along the violent waves, throwing the torrent from side to side.

_Whilst already now he could feel a layer of fogginess very......very SlOwlY.... creeping up in his freezing mind,.._

But did he not stop to dart his head right and left, up and down, forward and back, almost too quick, that had the sudden stinging sensation of disorientation pumping in his head only worsening...

_His heart suddenly beginning to race.._   
_Pumping badly against the shell of his chest._

.. as he kept on swirling himself wildly... PAnIcKY.....through the black NotHInGnEsS in search for both of his Generals.

_But wasn't that the only out-running problem, as the coldness forced him to take rapid inhales, from the stored, thin air he forced to keep stored in his mouth, but which abruptly draw itself to an quick closure, too._

...   
..

And that was when the drumming suddenly returned again, dizziness started to consume his vision, mind, head, the feeling of..

..his stomach turning itself upside down, as it writhe itself in a vomiting pain, while he still tried to keep the sore air behind his freezing lips..

.. **and then** his **golden** eyes began to blurry, flash in black and white, the corners growing even blacker, than the depth of the sea already was, right on the spot his body only still swayed loosely side to side, as the pulsing in his aching head only grew..

_Circulation breakdown...._

_He was blacking out.._

...and grew, his vision blackened and blackened, growing dark, until it devoured even the middle.

At that point he only still squeezed his eyes together.

Everything was swirling.   
Glistening, even in the darkness.   
His blood running cold.   
He couldn't feel anything, but the coldness and the pain of his lungs, screaming for the Warmth of fresh air.

_For the Faceless, he had calm, he had to calm down!_   
_He had to calm down!_

_He had to go UP!_

And that was when his Instinct kicked in, and he trashed, pushed wildly against the cold pressure of the water, he could feel against his shivering palms.

Trashed and trashed, nearing the greatening force of the raging waves and...

...broke..

..the..

..surface..

As he tore his mouth open, attempting to gasp for a large intake of air, only for the gigantic waves to instantly crash down on him again, swallow him, pull him back into the depths, and swirling him under the surface **over and over again.**

_Whilst with each time, his desperate paddling grew more panicky, more wild._

Literally costing all his remaining strength, literally sucking the air even more out of him, than it already had.

  
Though did his aching paddling not stop, no matter, the pulling pain he felt in his exhausted arms, as he forced himself up **one more time** and submerged over the choppy surface, to..

**...ga-..**

..,when another fierce wave instantly splashed into his terror-stricken face, again, just as he had opened his sore mouth.   
Making him almost choke on the sudden amount of cold water, he inhaled into his tearing lungs and whirled him just again into the dark depth.

Only for his aching muscles to finally fall to its exhaustion and..... go limp.... , the hopeless paddling of his hands to still, the kicking of his hurting legs to slacken, the trashing, the struggling, everything to finally come to an stop, as he only still drifted lifelessly, unmoving, under the Roaring surface.

With the pain in his tied up throat now literally devouring him in a radiating pain, screaming at him, forcing him to just TeAr his mouth open.

_He needed air, he needed to go up._

But he couldn't, not anymore, his limbs were, like they, were only still air, entirely limp, powerless,....... he had to..... He had to open his mouth..

He had to..

.. Inhaaallee-

When just as he FinALlY ripped his mouth open for the dreadful surprise to drown his lungs into an even greater burning sensation, he suddenly felt someone abruptly grabbing ahold of his arms. That had THE GENERAL instinctively shot his blackened eyes open at the sudden, fierce contact, just in the same time as he could feel a pair of lips pressing against his own blue ones.

Pushing air, precious fresh air in deep amounts inside of his burning lungs, and hence the more of its Warmth provided it again, the pulsating blackness in his drumming eyes deliberately cleared.

Whilst the lips kept on breathing new air inside of him, once more, and another time, another. 3 more, that he could feel a rapid shear of air run down his tied up throat, until they slowly pulled away again.

And had his warmed lips instantly be overwhelmed by the unbearable coldness again.   
Just as it left the frostbitten soreness, everywhere he could think of, be, but would his desperate shivering and twitching, _he hasn't even recognized his numb body to still have made_ , against the _watery air_ calm and could along so slowly recognize the slender, tall form of Mevolent swimming controlled infront of him

Looking at him with drawn together eyebrows and wide orbs, that were directly set at him, if not closely examining him, regain **even a bit** of Awareness, during he kept on holding him tightly on his shoulders.

Not even letting him go, when he was sure of the others current integrity /leisure recovery, and instead only looked up at the peacefully shimmering surface of the raging sea, that he carefully began to paddled with his feet up to, without even having his gaze once more return to his asphyxiating General, he dragged along.

But who was still much too dizzied / light-headed from the lack of oxygen his aching lungs were forced to hold from anew or taken away by the **Ice** still freezing his body ~ _to death_ ~ , to recognize the light movements of Mevolent, ~to remember the reason he had jumped into this freezing water~ 

_Serpine... Where is_ _Serpine_ _!!_

Until he suddenly felt his dazing head break a cold surface, that had his lungs instantly snap his mouth open and before he had even felt the first breeze of wind blowing against his freezing skin, could hear himself gasping aloud for the sweet, so sweet oxygen, he had longed for so deeply.

Rapidly, quickly, without any of the awaiting splashes of wild water drowning his inhaling mouth.   
Without the waves to pull his limp form mercilessly back down, again..

_They may splash their cold tears into his paled face or try to pull him along with them._

But something.. Someone... Mevolent held him strongly over the hypothermic water and kept on dragging him away **from the deathly rocks on the other side.**

That he dizzily watched disappearing behind the storming waves, wildly pounding against them, but was he only still focused on his own h e a v y breathing and the *dizzying* coldness fogging his mind, wiping it clean with only the pain of the stinging needles to remain in his awareness, as they kept on stabbing holes in every organ, that wasn't held over the frigid water, by the others safe hold.

_But was he able to breathe, breathe and inhale precious air, with only still this stabbing pain radiating, sucking every ounce of his non-existent strength out of his veins. As in the security of the shoulder he was sure.... so sure to feel, he let his body finally slacken, let go of the tension he had hold to fight against the inhuman current and just rest in the firm hold of the other._

_His body was limp, powerless, exhausted from a power of nature he has never thought to be do destructive._

Mevolent, who could clearly feel every little heave of the others rapid breathing on his own shoulder, he had safely laid his General on, and held him with his right hand,, just in the same time, whilst his left kept on try to claw himself above the thin water, _he couldn't grab , he couldn't ConTRoL ,_ swimming, fighting to carry him nearer to the save sea-side, he had eyed.

_Where is_ _Nefarian_ _... What are you doing?!_   
_Why is he swimming away!?_

Though the more thin air, Vengeous pumped into his easing lungs with his slowly laboring breaths. The more he regained a **small** part of his bearings, the lack of oxygen had covered. The MORE only the fogginess of the numb water remained, THE MORE he remembered the battle, became aware of the reason, recognized, that Serpine WASN'T with them...

And this feeling worsened the more Mevolent carried him away from the splashing, crashing and raging middle of deep river.

_He was bringing them to land!_   
_But what about_ _Serpine_ _!?_

_He's drowning!_

As by the second, this awareness, this realization, this memory pierced his pounding mind, his dull eyes automatically snapped themselves open, and he WANTED to struggle against the others solid grip.   
However did the signals of his brain never reach his benumbed limbs, let alone make him able to get his voice-vocals to release the small drowned and hoarse tone out of his gaped mouth .

', Mevolent... L-let go... W-What about Serpine..'

Nothing but a weak...._barely audible_ .... Rasp, that had only pained the Elemental, by each sound, he heard his General struggle to whisper, so grew only more determined to bring _at least one of his friends_ to Safety.

Without an answer, that is, as he only kept on silently swimming through the rustling waves, whilst the other kept on weakly murmuring, trying so desperately to get limbs to struggle the more distanced they got from the drowned spot he had submerged.

'Mevolent.. Please'

He kept on begging, but did the other stay silent..

'W-What.. What are you doing?'

..., who however listened closely to his pleading begs, and did it hurt him in a way he could never define to ignore his Generals despairing pleads, that it made him have to grit his teeth to keep on bearing those heart-tearing cries, whilst he forced himself to continue swimming..

'Please... Please, we can't leave him!'

..., until he finally felt the slippy surface of the shores stone , scratching over the tips of his fingers, that had finally set an ending to his exhausted heaves and kicking through the wild whirlpool he had dragged himself through.   
Slippy, wet and jagged stone, signing the sharp corners of the small, even platform, he had eyed..

_The only one, that there is, in this field of pounded, sharp rocks and the fence of a deathly cliff, the waves wildly crashed against_

...and, by the second he had felt, instantly, instinctively grabbed out for it, clawing the fingers of his spare hand tightly into the small spikes and gaps if offered, for the heavy swell to not pull him back into their roaring depth, nor its violent splashes to rip him away from the safe monument of granite he clung on.

That causes him to only tighten his desperate grip on the choppy surface, nearly appearing, like he was curling in on it and squeezed his eyes shut, the more piercing shards of cold water crashed uncontrollably into his face from both sides.

_Trying so hard.... Mercilessly.... to loosen his fierce grip on the stone.._

'Please..'

When his tensed Awareness was suddenly pulled away from the heavy current, so his eyes to instantly shot open, as he heard the hoarse voice of his General, once more weakly appearing behind him, nearly extinguished, nothing more than a quiet murmur, that had suddenly grown so quiet, so hopeless, when the limp Adept himself had felt the abrupt halt of Mevolent's coarse swimming.   
And by the pleasing whimper weighing a thousand pounds of guilt onto his shoulders, he faintly pulled his tired eyes over to Vengeous, and could have in the same time nearly released a defeated sigh, as he heavily draw his gaze back again, just for the swaying and swirling of the crashing waves to return into his awareness, once again.

But would have his Amber eyes not tiringly directed at the grey stone, he had leaned his forehead against, as he clung onto it, yet on the wet platform, he...

When suddenly Vengeous felt a sudden fierce yank on his limp body and, before he could even realize more than the suddenly tightened grip, watched as Mevolent heaved him in one swift movement away from him and could so quickly feel a sudden solid, but **not** transparent surface under him.

A sudden solid material - the texture of gravelly stone- under his open palms.

And that was when he realized...

_Our of the water!_

_He's out of the water!_

For he couldn't feel the cold wetness stinging needles into his skin anymore, feel the pull of the pull of the water rocking himself side to side, but only still felt the freezing wind blowing against his wet clothes sticking to his shivering numb body-parts and brush their fierce hissing over his light-headed forehead.

But which anew pulsating pain the winter breeze summoned, he ignored at first and instead bit the arising pain away, by letting a large amount of air flow into his tired lungs and let his mouth fall shot again for his teeth to grit, before he effortfully rolled himself towards Mevolent, so towards the heavy stream of wind the icy breeze found its origin.  
That had him instantly surprised by a strong wave of airy coldness, that only worsened the feeling of hypothermia radiating in his mind, if not have him slightly cough from the unexpected blow of dry air crashing against his shivering face, before he had even been able to speak the whispering words he was about to force out of his sore throat.

Though, even as he regained his bearings again and opened his golden eyes, he had closed from the small, but painful coughing, to look at the tall man still fiercely clinging to the same, water-pounded stone, had only had the chance to hoarsely begin...

'Mevolent... We-'

.. , before the Elemental already cut him off, tensing and urgency clouding his worried voice, as he shook his head, to clarify his order ' Not we.. I.. You stay where you are! I don't want to lose you, too.... I'll get him!'

And with this being said, Vengeous could only still watch as his master turned around and disappeared under the shivering surface of the raging sea, once again.

Leaving him to stare wide-eyed alone at the empty spot in the violent streak, his comrade - his friend - had swam only a second ago, but did he stay still..

_Even if he wanted to, he couldn't move, his limbs were still too exhausted, the water would kill him, the next time he'd, make touch with its raging coldness._

..and obeyed his leaders order, but would instead do something else.   
As he finally turned away from the rustling noises to his left and rolled his drumming head to the side to protect it from the whistling breeze. Before he let his body come to an final rest, sinking into the now existing ground breathe... Shaky, large in- and exhales, that he blew out of his gaped mouth..

And once the inhales of air had provided him with enough strength to move his sight to the white sky above - prayed....prayed to his God's in a language long forgotten **'** **Xahiş** **edirəm** **onları** **geri** **qaytarsınlar** **!'** (Please let them return! )

...  
..  
...

Words, their Gods have heard, whilst deep down in the land of darkness Mevolent already kept on swimming deeper and deeper into the ever-lasting depth.  
Desperate, that he shot his _slowly paling_ eyes side to side in the empty blackness. Whilst it **only** grew colder, the deeper he forced himself with each and every pull.

But was everything he saw dARknEsS.

EMpTy DaRkNEsS, which only grew more tenebrous the more distant the shimmering surface grew and the quieter the stillness silenced the still water he swam in.

Yet, grew the tightness of the water more dense just the same and he could feel it sucking the air quicker and quicker out of him, just as the growing coldness began to take a toll on his numbing muscles, now, too.

But did he not give up, but did he not stop to swim deeper down the blank void...

_Serpine's life depends on it!_

But did he not stop to dart his gaze everywhere into the darkness below him, but did he not stop to draw his breathe out of his own fading strength..

As he swam deeper and deeper into the coldness, until even his throat and lungs began m to sting from the lack of oxygen, he kept on holding in his mouth, yet was his despairing sight still, only met with...

When suddenly his eyes shot open and the hard pulls of his swimming grew abruptly quicker and even more urgent, as in the far distance before his wide eyes, he could see a dark shape floating LiFEleSslY in the middle of the black sea.

_His EmeRAld eYeS cLosEd._   
_His mouth OpeN, the wild bubbles having once made their way out of it, already LoNg GOne._

Which by the second he noticed his open-standing mouth, as the transparent distance between them, grew smaller and smaller, a familiar texture of panic slowly began to creep up inside the depth of his mind and his swimming got even more hasty.

_His face, pale as albino could be, even if the darkness of the water hit it._   
_His cloak hovering so elegantly, so peacefully in the stillness around him, like it had used to flicker and flow in the wind behind his slender body._

Mevolent instantly cradled shakily into his strong arms, once he had reached Serpine's petite form and instinctively placed two, shivering fingers straight onto his Generals bare throat....

**Only for his eyes to suddenly grow wide...**

...   
..   
...

By now, Vengeous didn't need to lay still anymore for his large gasps to supplement him with strength, but had already sluggishly, pulled him over to the corners of the platform.  
Kneeling, that he inpatiently observed its storming sea, with his arms clinging tightly, around his shivering form, that the crashing waves evermore splattered with their sharp tears, but which he kept on ignoring and only continuously let his wide eyes wander from side to side - looking desperately out for his FRIenDs

Whilst with each more breathe he sucked in, in between, most of the rest of his strength began to recover, as well.

As, he kept on and on, not stopping to let his golden eyes hastily glide over all directions the tempestuous sea offered him.   
But were it's raging waves, still an undisturbed battlefield of deathly hissing and rustling, crashing and Pounding. 

Emptiness, that only pure anger in form of glacial water filled.

Rustling...   
Whistling..

.. 

Until an abrupt loud gasp overwhelmed one single note of its never-ending, sombre song, when Mevolent had suddenly emerged back over the surface, only centimetres away from the platforms edges, along a loud, noisy splashing sound, that had Vengeous instantly flinch away from its sharp corners.   
Which Mevolent immediately grabbed out for, after he had harshly.....ForCEfUlLy....broken the surface - his face pale in the panic striking it, his eyes WiLd - and eyed Vengeous, to who he straightway pulled the limp form laying in his left arm, during a panting shriek, raw with terror left his mouth, which content, set Vengeous even more under EleCtRiCIty, than the quavering outcry had already tensed his body.

His eyes shot open.   
His heart racing.   
An content, that had him nearly choke on his own breathe...

'Quick, grab him.. _He doesn't have a pulse!'_

...and instantly bowed back forward to the slippery edge to grab Serpine out of his leaders grasp, pulling him the best his sore arms allowed him out of heavy current and laid him flat on the stoney ground. In time Mevolent, himself had already heaved himself heavily out onto the stone-bank, not even letting himself regain his own breathe, that he instantly crawled up to his Generals side.

Who had, by now, already kneed himself over Serpine and placed both the heels of his hands over each other onto his still chest, before he began to rapidly push onto it.   
Short hard and fast pushes, compressing his chest to _somehow return a beat to his fragile heart in his lifeless chest!_

With his wide eyes always moving to his face and back to his chest and again, face and chest, as he kept on...

_push_

_push_

And back to his face, still feeling no response of the Smaller, no glimmer of life sparkling up inside of him, as, whilst kept on pushing his aching arms down on his lifeless chest, desperate pleas began to leave his mouth ..

'Come on Serpine... Come on, please... Inhale.. Come on, God, inhale!

..before he turned back again and had his pleading eyes once again fixed on his own compressing movements..

_push_

' Inhale...'

_push_

' God.. Inhale.. Please'

But did he stay still, not a single twitch escaping his soaked form.

Though did Vengeous not give up. Too stubborn to accept, **not wanting to accept** his counterparts _inevitably_ fate.

_Push_

_Push_

Whilst Mevolent could only helplessly watch, paralysed, limbs slackening, the longer he could literally witness his hope being stolen away infront of his eyes, by each more second Serpine, his most youngest, stayed completely still, unresponsive to any of his Generals bitterly tries.

_push_

_push_

Too frozen on Serpine, to even tell Vengeous To StOp, tHaT iT mIgHT Be BeTtEr tO fInaLlY gIvE hIm tHe pEAcE hE deseRVeD..

'Come on...'

'Please' he almost whimpered, now, as he, once more collected all of his remaining strength inside his paining muscles, for the **last few more tries** , before he would..

_push_

_push_

'please...' now merely only still a pleasing whisper to their Gods, than himself, as he squeezed his eyes shut and..

_push_

A loud strangled **gasp** erupted from Serpine, ..

_..that had_ _Vengeous_ _iNsTAnTly snap his eyes open, as he flinched away and shot his alarmed gaze toward his head..._

..as his eyes had suddenly burst open and alongside had faintly lurched his upper body forward, before he collapsed back onto the cold... WEt... Ground and a rapid, fierce coughing fit began to take over him, puking up the baskets of water he had gulped down.

That had him instantly squeeze his eyes shut again, as pain... terrible pain overwhelmed his lungs, crushing his chest, pulsating with each cough, he couldn't prevent from coming up.

Whilst, over and over, again, he rapidly... DeSpErAtELy.... tried to lift his head, to **somehow** get the strangling water out of his throat, that had Mevolent instantly reach forward from his unfrozen position and instinctively cradled Serpine's upper body up in his sore arms, his twitching head against his shoulder,..

_....in order to aid his lungs pump out the water, in order to help him release it._

..as his harsh gagging kept on going and more and more of the liquid rose up, blocking his air supply - **air he so urgently needed** \- , as he desperately continued to choke _it all out, the seas entire rage_ , his burning lungs had collected inside of them.

Uncontrollably, that he shook, his legs and arms trashing, helplessly struggling in the radiating pain, almost appearing, like he wanting to claw the water out of him.

_Just get it out!_

...and did he keep on trying to breathe in oxygen, with rapid, short and breathless gasps, between his own vicious coughs.

It ALWAYS cut-short, in its most twisted way!

That had his drumming chest literally explode in the stinging pain, each time a **harsh** cough would abruptly break his hasty breathing attempt off, but how short he could a l r e a d y feel a icy wave of precious... precious air breezing pass over his arched tongue, would let no air come in **side** .

And that was, when panic grew...

_He's suffocating!_

...when tears began to rise up in his emerald eyes..

_He's suffocating!_

..when his gasping grew even wilder...more desperate, *but would only end in.... would only cause more water to come up his tied-up throat* .

_He wanted the coughing, to stop!_

_Please... Please, stop!_

'Stop' that was all, he was aware enough to think of, everything else was just SwIRlInG, StINgiNg, acHInG, his mind spinning in circles, preventing him from thinking properly,....as everything else he could still feel was his coughing, that _kept on_ and on, and the uprising water he _kept on_ wildly spitting out more and more, whilst he squeezed his watery eyes even tighter shut, the more pain erupted with each and every cough.

Too sunken in his pain, too shut off from the outside world, to even recognize the pair of strong arms tightly, securely, cLoSElY holding him to their chest and his best friend kneeling tensely beside him, though could he very, very slowly make out broken bits of hushed words, between the coarse, loud sounds of his coughing, gagging, GaSPiNg.

Hushed voices, talking to him..

'N... rian...... -lm.... do-..'

But would they clear, the longer he heard them, their slurred words flickering, like a shaky breeze in his fogged Awareness.

'S-..... pine.... sta-... Calm'

The longer they stayed with him. 

'Serpine.....y-.....-ave....to calm.. -own'

And the clearer they got, the more he recognized them, the more his Awareness to the outside returned.

**Rustling, splashing of crashing water, suddenly filling the numbing Silence.**   
**The feeling of something strong holding him.**

Yet, did his coughing nonetheless not stop, **though did his desperate tries to gasp for the breathable air,** as his water-filled mouth only still hung open.

_He was just too exhausted._

Too weak, to fight, to gasp, to even cough, but only still **gagged** up the water - water, alike the liquid staining his pale cheeks.   
Just as he was **Too determined** in his longing to see his families eyes, as, despite the still radiating pain of the strangled coughing, he forced his shimmering eyes open to the freezing white light, to the golden and brown eyes staring worriedly down at him.

And by the second Mevolent could see a single glimmer of the Emerald-green color of his General's white eyes coming to life, he instantly used the small period of time, he had won Serpine's slippery Attention and..

'Yes.. Yes.. Good, Serpine... Keep your eyes open, look at us and just cough, its going to be over soon,.. It's OK.. Its OK..'

..his vision was still blurry, but did he instantly recognize the brown-eyed shape on Mevolent's voice. And like so often did he trust his leader blindly in every word he said, as with the last bit of strength he still felt, pumping through his aching veins, _collected a breathe, he didn't have_ and heavily coughed..

_One time.._

With his eyes, once more tightly squeezed shut, that he put his entire strength in 3 more rough, big coughs, and with each could he literally feel the wetness in his throat getting sucked out of him.

_A second.._

'There's a good boy.. Let it all out... '

Ocean water, he spat out of his mouth, like a wave splattering his raging tears, when it would crash against the stones beside him, and like the ocean, pulling its serene waves back from a sandy shore, felt its last more steams, flowing freely out of his mouth.

_...a third._

Before he finally felt the paining irritation, the feeling of water strangling his throat disappear and he leisurely opened his eyes again. Maybe still lightly coughing, but easing...

...so his struggle, the trashing, the kicking to grow limp. His arms and legs to finally lay numb on the hard ground, staying numb, until his coughing fully extinguished and once the last cough had made it out of his watery mouth, he instantly inhaled.   
Nearly broke the last coughing off, so desperate he was to finally pump the lost air back inside of him, as he felt the airway to his crying lungs clear.

One heavy, loud gasp that disturbed its end at first, before it suddenly got replaced by a rapid breathing-attack,...

_...Too exhausted, too shaken to breathe normally.._

..shallow, long and hasty breathes, alongside each and every his arms abruptly, FIerCeLy twitched.

His eyes once again closed, his mouth open, only still rapidly breathing, but still conscious, still aware of both Mevolent, _whose chest he now rested his drumming head against_ , and Vengeous, but was he only still focused on his regaining his b r e a t h e, on the sweet oxygen finally able to provide himself with b r e a t h e.

And the more he in-, ex-, in - and heavily exhaled, the more he felt himself getting hotter, his forehead beginning to soak with pearls of icy sweat, feverish, whilst his body inwardly shook from the coldness.

His blue lips starting to tremble from the cold, **but was he only still focused on getting the freezing-air inside his exhausted body, inside his breathless lungs .**

_Cooling him from the inside out, but couldn't he stop to inhale, couldn't he stop the new tears from soaking his cheeks, couldn't he stop to cuddle his head closer in his leaders warm chest._

_Adrenalin was rushing through his exhausted veins and everything just a c h e d._

'Nefarian!'

..

'... Serpine!!'

Whilst the only way both the other two soaked figures knew to react, was to somehow win their agitated friend's attention back, as fast as possible, before his weakened lungs would give In from the sudden great amount of rapid _too fast_ air, entering it.

They had to calm him!

'.... calm down... listen to me, listen to my words and breathe, just like me.. In and out....' Mevolent desperately, kept on trying to talk to his shivering General, tensed and urged, at first, but calm, as he said it once more , to make his General ease with him.' In.. And out..'

Though did he only still hear the overwhelming sounds of his heavy coughing and feel the icy air, as it seeped down into his pumping lungs, not until his attention was suddenly pulled away from his desperate draws, by a foreign gentle pressure on his twitching hand and the already existing warm resistance, he lightly still felt against his arm, tightening.

As Mevolent pulled him closer to his warm chest and Vengeous grabbed ahold of his shaking hand in attempt to yet again calm him, before the Elemental repeated the same words once again, during he kept on pressing him tighter - protectively - to himself ' Nefarian,.. in..... and out...'

And to their very luck, was the sudden mild distraction of the physical touch, enough to make him aware of the hushed words ... _blurrily appearing_ _infront_ _of him ._ _.._ Mevolent kept on gently repeating.

_But once his Awareness noticed them, he grab ahold of its continuos quiet sound - Eager to keep on hearing them..._

Hence Mevolent didn't dare to stop with his desperate... ~ _succeeded_ ~ ... Tries to reach his Youngest, 'In... And out... Listen to my breathing.... In'...and so he took a deep, but slow abd calm inhale and... '....and out..' .... along his words released them again , before he began from anew...

In and out..

In and out..

And surprisingly or not,..

.. did Serpine _slowly_ start to breathe along his instructing words and the empty pauses, his rapid breaths had at first still overwhelmed their filling breathing sounds of the other. But even that didn't take long for him to hear, as after only a few less times of just listening to his collected instructions, __with his heavy breathing still fiercely racing in the background_ , did he try to follow it.

For his rapid breathes to slowly, but surely ease. More and more growing deliberate, with each more time he listened..

_In and_ _out_

..and tried to move along.

..

...could he feel Serpine's shaking form in his freezing arms to ease, and his rattling/croaky/hoarse panting blowing their fierce breathe against his wet chest to calm, along his own slow words..

As he kept on..

'In.. and out..'

..with his hushing words, and the more Serpine grew more peaceful, the more the light tension in his words started to disappear, growing to a voice nearly comparable, to a mother singing their child to sleep...

'Shhh..in..and out'

..and along so began to gentle stroke his youngest over his fragile side.

Until the exhausted figure only still lay numb in his embrace.. Head limply placed against his own beating heart, with only still his heavy, but slow breathing to slightly move his heaving chest...

_As he peacefully leaned into this rhythmic, serene caressing, which had just as he had still been listening and giving his best to calm his breathing along those shrilling words, did the sudden presence of this gentle touch gliding up and down his side, bring even his Pounding_ _heart_ _to ease._

_Aiding him, by the very second its Stillness appeared, to calm his racing head. Made his at that time, still long panting, abruptly ease to an heavy breathing._

_With his eyes still closed, yet not squeezed shut, only with their eye-lids only lightly laying over them, that he focused himself only still on his breathing, so those gentle continuous movement leisurely sliding up and down.... Up and down..._

... and along those calming sounds of his leaders monotonously beating heart, so the melody of his exhausted breathes did it carry him slowly to a restful sleep...

Making even this light tension, that strains a persons awake veins, entirely disappear, and those small motions of his lips, Mevolent had kept on barely feeling, fully extinguish into nothing more, but an entirely still form resting in his arms.

Hence along did his hushing leisurely fade away into the pure cold air as well.   
The coldness, that had more and more returned to their relaxing Awareness, - slowly that it began to force its iciness through their soaked clothes...- with each and every more second, they could watch Serpine easing.   
And did no more words escape his mouth, when Serpine finally fell to his exhaustion, but only still held him tightly to his chest.

Whilst in the steaming background, did the seas vicious crashing return back to their ears Awareness. _Strong and deathly_ , yet so peacefully splashing sounds, that were too mellow to wake their slumbering friend.

Peaceful, alike soft, that Vengeous cautiously let go of Serpine's still, gloved hand, for both his arms to cling around his shivering chest, but which he gave only a part of his attention to recognize its presence, as he was still too focused on their nearly-to-have-died friend and the words he was about whisper to their water-dropping leader...

'Is he going to be alright '

And alike that his voice did barely disturb the flow of the nature sounds - the sounds of the crashing waves, the melody of the whistling wind-, did Mevolents heavy, but nearly internal sigh interfere it nearly neither, as with his half-closed eyes still directed at Serpine and his arms still holding him protectively to his chest, did he quietly whisper back to his General 'Yes.....'... and lifted his gaze back up to have his shimmering brown eyes land on the worried Virgin golden of Vengeous' '.. As long as we bring him back to the castle,...... now.. '

..

.

**Hence with this having been said, only still a strict and agreeing nod was being given, before** **Vengeous** **heavily heaved himself up on his still wobbly legs, patiently watching the Elemental-leader gently and utterly quiet position his hands safely under** **Serpine's** **knees and back.**   
**Cautiously, that he, so then, lifted him up - closely held to his chest- and gave only one more keen look to the old, wooden bridge..**

**..** ** _up, up.._ **

** _.._ ** **above in the white sky, the never-to-be-forgotten battle had taken place only faithful minutes ago , before they finally turned their back on this dangerous place and with** **Serpine** **securely in their hold,, made their way back to their kingdom.**

Soaked, frozen, one nearly to have died, but did their tight bound keep them alive.

..

(The End) 


End file.
